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Heartprints

This past week my youngest child left for basic training. He chose to go into the Reserves so that he could pursue serving his country and get his college degree. When I sat down to write him a card of encouragement before he left, all I could think about was how much I was going to miss him. I thought about how difficult it was to let go of him knowing he could eventually be in truly dangerous situations. I thought about how not being able to communicate with him for weeks and months at a time was going to try my soul as a mother.

“Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.” –Charles Dickens

Our sixth power tool is body language. We all have it. We all use it. We all have sadly, through body language, expressed, so loudly our own anxiety or frustration that the children miss our words. “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson.

We have a saying around our kid's ministry: Church can either be a cruise ship or a battleship. It can either be a place of light entertainment, or it can be a place to ready its inhabitants for combat. If this sounds over-dramatic, please consider the words of Jesus, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a) Our kids are under assault.The enemy craftily conspires to steal their innocence, destroy their families, and take their very lives. And the weapon he most readily uses is deception. He can accomplish his mission when he entices our kids to believe his lies. The only counter to lies is truth.

God has given us a voice to speak forth His written Word. With our voice we are to proclaim the wonder of the Creator. The love of Christ compels us to give voice to the Good News of God’s salvation. Our fifth power tool, our voice, is an old tool but it has an amazing power to capture the interest of those we want to listen.

Jesus famously said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Do you ever wonder why we so often rob our kids of this blessing? We unwittingly train our kids to be little takers instead of givers. It permeates our culture in America. Kids can’t go out for lunch (which, in itself, should be a treat) without clamoring for a toy to go along with the meal that was purchased for them.

I don’t remember exactly when we started it, but I as I drove my children to school each day we would pray and then I would tell them, “I love you more than you can imagine!”

As my daughter started middle school I would roll my window down and sing to her, “You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful!”

She would always turn and say, “Mom!” But she loved it. Her friends loved it too and would react if I didn’t do it. The reason I did it was because she needed it. Her way of feeling loved was through words of affirmation.

“Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together during church services. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had enough. 'You're not supposed to talk out loud in church.' 'Why? Who's going to stop me?' Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, 'See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers.'”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27

In His image. Three words we are so used to hearing, they may not really register anymore. Take a minute to let them soak in once again. Every person. Every single one is an image bearer of the King. Let’s do a quick rundown of who this includes:

Hannah had just turned 16 and couldn’t wait to drive her bright, new, red, shiny sports car. Even though she didn’t have her license and had not taken her driver’s education class, her parents gave her the keys and turned her loose to drive. This sounds like a terribly bad idea, right?

Unity with God’s community is powerful! We need never suffer trying to do ministry alone. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Many have gone before us and many walk this same road even now. Other’s work can enhance ours but we must keep our eyes on Jesus to direct us in the way of truth.

When my children were babies and toddlers I would sing to them and pray for them as I rocked them to sleep. One of my daughter’s favorites was I have decided to follow Jesus. She would toddle around the house singing, “I faalllow Je….sus…” I loved hearing her sing and so did her grandparents and great- grandparents.

Christianity is more easily caught than taught! Children learn from hearing but they mimic what they see. In order to truly teach the Word of God we need it to become a living part of who we are. For this to happen we need more time in God’s Word than just our teaching preparation. We need to intimately connect with God through His Word as often as we can.

What are you investing in? Most of us spend the time (and money) for our kids' extra batting practice, swim lessons, and homework tutors. These things are great, but none of them are as valuable as time spent hiding God’s word in a tender young heart. Which of these activities will sustain them when a family member is diagnosed with a dreadful disease? Which will guide them when peers are pressuring them to do something they shouldn’t? Which will lead them toward a relationship with the all-knowing Creator of the cosmos who happens to be crazy in love with them?

Have you ever had a moment when you are in the midst of disciplining your child and you realize that their behavior might be due to your failure?

A couple weeks ago that happened to me. I was in the middle of explaining why a certain decision wasn’t a good one to my child. And it wasn’t. And I’m not saying that his choices are my fault, because bottom line is he is the one to suffer the consequences. But as we sat there, I was praying silently, asking God to give me wisdom. “Lord, please show me what I need to know. Help me to understand what he is feeling.”

The Holy Spirit is our teacher and He is the one who opens our minds to the truth we will be teaching. He is the only one who can take our meager efforts and make something eternal out of them in the lives of our children. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (Net Bible) “He who calls you is trustworthy, and He will in fact do this.”Prayer is our communication with Him before, during, and after the teaching process. Our number one power tool is prayer!

Ask anyone who Eve is (even those who don’t claim to be especially religious) and 9 times out of 10, you’ll hear that she’s the one who ate the forbidden fruit. Everyone knows that, right? Eve’s identity is: the first sinner. And sin, as we know, leads to death. Eve’s decision led everyone toward death. So that has become Eve’s identity. But that’s not the plan God had for her–far from it.

For those that don’t know, I serve as the Family Pastor for my local church. It’s a great opportunity for anyone who loves the concept of the family like I do. I oversee age groups from birth to Sr. High and I’m seeing overseeing marriage ministry as well. I love that God has given this responsibility to me and I love the thought of what a Christ-Centered family looks like.

Teaching our children to love and value the Word of God is a noble desire. But how do we do so when so many things seem to fight for their attention? The newest iPhone app, TV shows, video games, et cetera!

In a world that’s so busy, how do we teach our children to quiet their hearts before the Lord?

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About Heartprints

Heartprints features a panel of Christian leaders who recognize the significance of teaching children the truth of God’s word. Our goal is to come alongside Children’s Ministry Leaders, workers and their families to aid and encourage them in their faith journey with God’s children as they “tell the next generation about the LORD’s praiseworthy acts, about his strength and the amazing things he has done (Psalm 78:4).”